The Gold Knight: Questions after Oscar season

Feb. 22’s Oscars capped off a special season this year, filled with more dissent and vitriol than normal. (Or maybe I’m just watching social media more.)

This year seemed normal going into nominations on Jan. 15. There was a fantastic feeling around some of the nominated films, including “Boyhood” and “Birdman.”

Then #OscarsSoWhite happened.

People were up in arms over what they believed to be snubs for “Selma” in multiple categories, the result of a non-diverse motion picture academy. The hashtag on Twitter was created with this feeling in mind.

Oscars host Neil Patrick Harris awkwardly joked about this in his monologue.

“Tonight we honor Hollywood’s best and whitest — sorry, brightest,” he said.

While “12 Years a Slave” won for Best Picture just last year, it appeared that any progress made toward diverse inclusion had been reversed.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences voted for outstanding achievements of 2014. Members may not have meant to specifically exclude “Selma,” but surely not enough members voted to include it.

Was this specifically about the Oscars, or a larger question about the state of Hollywood and the studios that make the big films? What exactly is the problem and how can it be fixed?

Everyone brings his or her own perspective and opinion to the Oscars. After all, choosing “the best” is subjective. Look at previous winners of Academy Awards. Wouldn’t a film winning many awards for technical achievements or acting be a shoo-in for Best Picture?

Last year, “Gravity” took home seven Oscars in Best Director and the technical categories, yet lost Best Picture to “12 Years a Slave,” which ended the night with three Oscars.

These awards are chosen by a specific group of people. They happen to skew more white and more male.

But the public holds the Academy to a higher standard because its awards are supposed to represent all facets of the film industry and honor the best achievements of the previous year. It’s the gold standard, a seal of approval. But again, that can be really subjective.

The ceremony itself lost 16 percent of its record-breaking audience from last year, which was the best in a decade.

The biggest film nominated for Best Picture at the box office this year was “American Sniper.” The movie-going public, which votes with its wallet, chose “Sniper.”

Yet it didn’t win.

Maybe the exclusion of big ticket films from the top category kept audiences away. Or maybe the Olympics helped the Oscars last year, by giving awards season a monthlong break.

Demanding change from the Academy, along with Hollywood, is healthy and important.

Hopefully this awards season taught us something. It has certainly left us with many questions.

Toledo Free Press Film Editor James A. Molnar blogs about the Oscars at TheGoldKnight.com.

87th Academy Awards winners

HOLLYWOOD, Calif. — It may have been pouring outside, but inside the Dolby Theatre here at Hollywood & Highland Center there was a certain golden glow.

“Birdman” and “The Grand Budapest Hotel” tied for the most wins of the night, with four. The former, about a washed up actor trying to restart his career, took the prize for Best Picture.

Every nominee in that top category left with an Oscar. “Whiplash” received three Oscar wins. The other five nominees for Best Picture — “American Sniper,” “Boyhood,” “The Imitation Game,” “Selma” and “The Theory of Everything” — each received one.

The ceremony clocked in at 3 hours and 38 minutes, with Neil Patrick Harris hosting.

And the Oscar goes to…

(in the order announced)

Best Actor in a Supporting Role

Robert Duvall, “The Judge”

Ethan Hawke, “Boyhood”

Edward Norton, “Birdman”

Mark Ruffalo, “Foxcatcher”

J.K. Simmons, “Whiplash” *WINNER*

Best Costume Design

“The Grand Budapest Hotel” *WINNER*

“Inherent Vice”

“Into the Woods”

“Maleficent”

“Mr. Turner”

Best Makeup and Hairstyling

“Foxcatcher”

“The Grand Budapest Hotel” *WINNER*

“Guardians of the Galaxy”

Best Foreign Language Film

“Ida” (Poland) *WINNER*

“Leviathan” (Russia)

“Tangerines” (Estonia)

“Timbuktu” (Mauritania)

“Wild Tales” (Argentina)

Best Short Film — Live Action

“Aya”

“Boogaloo and Graham”

“Butter Lamp”

“Parvaneh”

“The Phone Call” *WINNER*

Best Documentary — Short Subject

“Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1″ *WINNER*

“Joanna”

“Our Curse”

“The Reaper (La Parka)”

“White Earth”

Best Sound Mixing

“American Sniper”

“Birdman”

“Interstellar”

“Unbroken”

“Whiplash” *WINNER*

Best Sound Editing

“American Sniper” *WINNER*

“Birdman”

“The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies”

“Interstellar”

“Unbroken”

Best Actress in a Supporting Role

Patricia Arquette, “Boyhood” *WINNER*

Laura Dern, “Wild”

Keira Knightley, “The Imitation Game”

Emma Stone, “Birdman”

Meryl Streep, “Into the Woods”

Best Visual Effects

“Captain America: The Winter Soldier”

“Dawn of the Planet of the Apes”

“Guardians of the Galaxy”

“Interstellar” *WINNER*

“X-Men: Days of Future Past”

Best Short Film — Animated

“The Bigger Picture”

“The Dam Keeper”

“Feast” *WINNER*

“Me and My Moulton”

“A Single Life”

Best Animated Feature Film

“Big Hero 6″ *WINNER*

“The Boxtrolls”

“How to Train Your Dragon 2″

“Song of the Sea”

“The Tale of The Princess Kaguya”

Best Production Design

“The Grand Budapest Hotel” *WINNER*

“The Imitation Game”

“Interstellar”

“Into the Woods”

“Mr. Turner”

Best Cinematography

“Birdman,” Emmanuel Lubezki *WINNER*

“The Grand Budapest Hotel,” Robert Yeoman

“Ida,” Lukasz Zal & Ryszard Lenczewski

“Mr. Turner,” Dick Pope

“Unbroken,” Roger Deakins

Best Film Editing

“American Sniper”

“Boyhood”

“The Grand Budapest Hotel”

“The Imitation Game”

“Whiplash” *WINNER*

Best Documentary — Feature

“CITIZENFOUR” *WINNER*

“Finding Vivian Maier”

“Last Days in Vietnam”

“The Salt of the Earth”

“Virunga”

Best Music — Original Song

“Lost Stars” from “Begin Again”

“Everything is Awesome” from “The LEGO Movie”

“Glory” from “Selma” *WINNER*

“Grateful” from “Beyond the Lights”

“I’m Not Gonna Miss You” from “Glen Campbell: I’ll Be Me”

Best Music — Original Score

“The Grand Budapest Hotel,” Alexandre Desplat *WINNER*

“The Imitation Game,” Alexandre Desplat

“Interstellar,” Hans Zimmer

“Mr. Turner,” Gary Yershon

“The Theory of Everything,” Jóhann Jóhannsson

Best Writing — Original Screenplay

“Birdman” *WINNER*

“Boyhood”

“Foxcatcher”

“The Grand Budapest Hotel”

“Nightcrawler”

Best Writing — Adapted Screenplay

“American Sniper”

“The Imitation Game” *WINNER*

“Inherent Vice”

“The Theory of Everything”

“Whiplash”

Best Director

Wes Anderson, “The Grand Budapest Hotel”

Alejandro González Iñárritu, “Birdman” *WINNER*

Richard Linklater, “Boyhood”

Bennett Miller, “Foxcatcher”

Morten Tyldum, “The Imitation Game”

Best Actor in a Leading Role

Steve Carell, “Foxcatcher”

Bradley Cooper, “American Sniper”

Benedict Cumberbatch, “The Imitation Game”

Michael Keaton, “Birdman”

Eddie Redmayne, “The Theory of Everything” *WINNER*

Best Actress in a Leading Role

Marion Cotillard, “Two Days, One Night”

Felicity Jones, “The Theory of Everything”

Julianne Moore, “Still Alice” *WINNER*

Rosamund Pike, “Gone Girl”

Reese Witherspoon, “Wild”

Best Picture

“American Sniper”

“Birdman” *WINNER*

“Boyhood”

“The Grand Budapest Hotel”

“The Imitation Game”

“Selma”

“The Theory of Everything”

“Whiplash”

The 87th Academy Awards, for outstanding film achievements of 2014, were presented on Sunday, Feb. 22, 2015, at the Dolby Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center, and televised live on ABC and in more than 225 countries worldwide.

The Gold Knight: Final predictions for the 2015 Oscars

HOLLYWOOD, Calif. — When the golden envelopes are opened tonight at the Dolby Theatre, there could be more than one surprise awaiting the audience at the 87th Academy Awards.

Here are my final predictions (and the possible spoilers):

Final Tally:

“The Grand Budapest Hotel”: 5 out of 9

“Boyhood”: 4 out of 6

“Whiplash”: 2 out of 5

“American Sniper”: 1 out of 6

“Birdman”: 1 out of 9

“The Imitation Game”: 1 out of 8

“Interstellar”: 1 out of 5

“The Theory of Everything”: 1 out of 5

“Foxcatcher”: 0 out of 4

“Mr. Turner”: 0 out of 4

And the nominees are…

Best Picture

“American Sniper”

“Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)” spoiler

“Boyhood”

“The Grand Budapest Hotel”

“The Imitation Game”

“Selma”

“The Theory of Everything”

“Whiplash”

Best Director

Wes Anderson, “The Grand Budapest Hotel”

Alejandro González Iñárritu, “Birdman” spoiler

Richard Linklater, “Boyhood”

Bennett Miller, “Foxcatcher”

Morten Tyldum, “The Imitation Game”

Best Writing — Adapted Screenplay

“American Sniper”

“The Imitation Game”

“Inherent Vice”

“The Theory of Everything”

“Whiplash” spoiler

Best Writing — Original Screenplay

“Birdman” spoiler

“Boyhood”

“Foxcatcher”

“The Grand Budapest Hotel”

“Nightcrawler”

Best Actor in a Leading Role

Steve Carell, “Foxcatcher”

Bradley Cooper, “American Sniper”

Benedict Cumberbatch, “The Imitation Game”

Michael Keaton, “Birdman” spoiler

Eddie Redmayne, “The Theory of Everything”

Best Actress in a Leading Role

Marion Cotillard, “Two Days, One Night”

Felicity Jones, “The Theory of Everything”

Julianne Moore, “Still Alice”

Rosamund Pike, “Gone Girl”

Reese Witherspoon, “Wild”

Best Actor in a Supporting Role

Robert Duvall, “The Judge”

Ethan Hawke, “Boyhood”

Edward Norton, “Birdman”

Mark Ruffalo, “Foxcatcher”

J.K. Simmons, “Whiplash”

Best Actress in a Supporting Role

Patricia Arquette, “Boyhood”

Laura Dern, “Wild”

Keira Knightley, “The Imitation Game”

Emma Stone, “Birdman” spoiler (small)

Meryl Streep, “Into the Woods”

Best Animated Feature Film

“Big Hero 6″ spoiler

“The Boxtrolls”

“How to Train Your Dragon 2″

“Song of the Sea”

“The Tale of The Princess Kaguya”

Best Cinematography

“Birdman,” Emmanuel Lubezki

“The Grand Budapest Hotel,” Robert Yeoman

“Ida,” Lukasz Zal & Ryszard Lenczewski

“Mr. Turner,” Dick Pope

“Unbroken,” Roger Deakins

Best Costume Design

“The Grand Budapest Hotel”

“Inherent Vice”

“Into the Woods”

“Maleficent”

“Mr. Turner”

Best Documentary — Feature

“CITIZENFOUR”

“Finding Vivian Maier”

“Last Days in Vietnam”

“The Salt of the Earth”

“Virunga” spoiler

Best Documentary — Short Subject

“Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1″

“Joanna” spoiler

“Our Curse”

“The Reaper (La Parka)”

“White Earth”

Best Film Editing

“American Sniper”

“Boyhood”

“The Grand Budapest Hotel”

“The Imitation Game”

“Whiplash” spoiler

Best Foreign Language Film

“Ida” (Poland)

“Leviathan” (Russia)

“Tangerines” (Estonia)

“Timbuktu” (Mauritania)

“Wild Tales” (Argentina) spoiler

Best Makeup and Hairstyling

“Foxcatcher”

“The Grand Budapest Hotel”

“Guardians of the Galaxy” spoiler

Best Music — Original Score

“The Grand Budapest Hotel,” Alexandre Desplat

“The Imitation Game,” Alexandre Desplat

“Interstellar,” Hans Zimmer

“Mr. Turner,” Gary Yershon

“The Theory of Everything,” Jóhann Jóhannsson spoiler

Best Music — Original Song

“Lost Stars” from “Begin Again”

“Everything is Awesome” from “The LEGO Movie”

“Glory” from “Selma”

“Grateful” from “Beyond the Lights”

“I’m Not Gonna Miss You” from “Glen Campbell: I’ll Be Me” spoiler

Best Production Design

“The Grand Budapest Hotel”

“The Imitation Game”

“Interstellar”

“Into the Woods”

“Mr. Turner”

Best Short Film — Animated

“The Bigger Picture”

“The Dam Keeper” spoiler

“Feast”

“Me and My Moulton”

“A Single Life”

Best Short Film — Live Action

“Aya”

“Boogaloo and Graham” spoiler

“Butter Lamp”

“Parvaneh”

“The Phone Call”

Best Sound Editing

“American Sniper”

“Birdman” spoiler

“The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies”

“Interstellar”

“Unbroken”

Best Sound Mixing

“American Sniper”

“Birdman” spoiler

“Interstellar”

“Unbroken”

“Whiplash”

Best Visual Effects

“Captain America: The Winter Soldier”

“Dawn of the Planet of the Apes” spoiler

“Guardians of the Galaxy”

“Interstellar”

“X-Men: Days of Future Past”

The 87th Academy Awards, for outstanding film achievements of 2014, will be presented on Sunday, Feb. 22, 2015, at the Dolby Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center, and will be televised live on ABC and in more than 225 countries worldwide.

Follow Toledo Free Press Film Editor James A. Molnar as The Gold Knight on social media using #TGKoscars and on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Tumblr.

The 87th Academy Awards, for outstanding film achievements of 2014, will be presented on Sunday, Feb. 22, 2015, at the Dolby Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center, and will be televised live on ABC and in more than 225 countries worldwide.

These appearances add to already-announced performances of the Oscar-nominated original songs. Adam Levine will perform “Lost Stars” from the film “Begin Again” with his band Maroon 5. John Legend and Common will perform their nominated song “Glory,” from “Selma.” Rita Ora will perform “Grateful,” written by Diane Warren, from “Beyond the Lights.” Tim McGraw will perform “I’m Not Gonna Miss You” in honor of friend and nominee Glen Campbell, from the documentary “Glen Campbell: I’ll Be Me.” And finally, pop duo Tegan and Sara and comedy-music trio The Lonely Island will perform the nominated song “Everything Is Awesome” from “The Lego Movie.”

Oscars 2015: Event planner Cheryl Cecchetto shares her success story in new book ‘Passion to Create’

It may be surprising to read that Hollywood event planner Cheryl Cecchetto is an award-winning accordion player.

Then again, the accordion just may be the perfect instrument for Cecchetto.

The go-to event planner for the post-Oscars Governors Ball is adept at multitasking, a needed skill to the play the Germanic instrument.

“It’s very much a multitasking situation.” Cecchetto said in an interview with Toledo Free Press. “That’s truly what a director and producer does.”

The Canadian-born Cecchetto actually gave up her career as an accordionist to become an actress.

“For me, even though I loved the instrument so much, it wasn’t expressive enough,” she said. “I needed to use my voice and my arms and my legs and run around and talk and wave and whatever.”

But she said music will always be in her blood.

“Music hasn’t let go,” she said.

Her new book, “Passion to Create: Your Invitation to Celebrate,” offers another way for Cecchetto to express herself. Published Dec. 30 by New Holland Publishers, it details her life, her career and some fantastic behind-the-scenes stories from inside Hollywood’s biggest parties.

Cecchetto and her team at Sequoia Productions are currently putting the finishing touches on the Governors Ball, which will take place immediately after the Academy Awards on Feb. 22. Reached with just a quick walk upstairs to the ballroom at Hollywood & Highland Center in Los Angeles, this exclusive party for Oscar nominees, winners and invited guests is as glamorous as it gets.

This year’s ball, Cecchetto’s 26th consecutive year as producer, will celebrate the history, glamour and artistry of Hollywood, with tributes to icons of cinema past.

A rendering of the 2015 Governors Ball for the Academy Awards. Photo courtesy A.M.P.A.S.

While planning big events in Hollywood and around the world in 2014, Cecchetto was also busy finalizing her book.

Cecchetto’s manager, Steven McArthur, suggested finishing the book as soon as possible, to coincide with her company’s 25th year.

“It was a lot of work,” she said. “It nearly killed me.”

Over 25 years, Cecchetto said, her career has been quite the journey and evolution.

“I think that my events have gone from — oh my goodness, 25 years ago — tablecloths and florals and now, they’re into full-out productions and now they’re theatrical and now, [I have] the book,” she said.

“Passion to Create” focuses on four concepts, according to Cecchetto: How she got here, ideas and inspiration, great Hollywood stories and giving back.

‘Passion to Create’ book cover.

In the book, she shares details about being an assistant for Shelley Winters for a year, as well as appearing as an extra in TV shows like “The Golden Girls.”

To pay her bills while an unemployed actress in Los Angeles, she took catering jobs. Nearly three decades ago, she started managing events for one company, Ambrosia, and that’s when she landed her first Oscars gig.

She helped plan and manage her first Governors Ball.

“It was a beautiful evening,” she writes. “That first Governors Ball created business relationships and friendships among us, lasting to this day.”

One of the 10 chapters in this coffee-table book aims at helping readers plan their own events. From weddings to parties, Cecchetto shares tips, tricks and timelines. Each chapter also ends in a recipe that is representative of the preceding theme.

The Gold Knight: Top 10 films of 2014

The best films of 2014 feature a cast of memorable characters: some real, some fictional, some heroic, some animated, some time-shifting and some that will just make you cry. Above all, these are the characters that stayed with me.

.

10. “Lone Survivor”

While technically released in 2013, I wanted to include on my list because this story must be told and the movie must be seen by any American over 18. The heroism and bravery exhibited by those in service is remarkable. The humanity exhibited in the hostile territories overseas is remarkable and breathtaking. (You can also find a similar film in Clint Eastwood’s “American Sniper,” in theaters now.)

9. “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes”

Joe Letteri, your Oscar is on its way. The visual effects supervisor on “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes,” along with New Zealand’s Weta Digital, creates a visual masterpiece with this latest movie in the rebooted franchise.

8. “Wild”

Reese Witherspoon plays a damaged woman on a life-changing journey on the Pacific Crest Trail. The audience grows as she hikes more than 1,000 miles from the Mojave Desert in California to Oregon and Washington state. It’s a worthwhile journey for everyone and one of the best films of the year. Laura Dern plays her mother quite splendidly. Both rightly deserved their Oscar nominations.

7. “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1″

This girl really is on fire and so is this series. The addition of Julianne Moore’s Coin is perfect. Some may complain about the separation of the last book into two movies, but the more the merrier!

6. “The Theory of Everything”

A fantastic true story that is equal parts heartbreaking and inspiring, “The Theory of Everything” chronicles the life of Stephen Hawking from student to world-renowned astrophysicist, along with his struggle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

5. “Interstellar”

An absolute adventure on the big screen from director Christopher Nolan that is one of the best experiences of the year. The 70mm IMAX Experience is second to none.

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4. “Big Hero 6″

“Big Hero 6″ is the best animated movie of the year. Not since “The LEGO Movie,” which came out in last February, have audiences been so touched and teary-eyed. “Big Hero 6″ is reminiscent of the animated gold standard of Disney/Pixar films like “The Incredibles” and “Toy Story 3.” (Read my full review here.)

3. “Edge of Tomorrow (Live. Die. Repeat.)”

Tom Cruise does it again, choosing a fantastic movie to star in with thrill and bombast. It’s “Independence Day” meets “Source Code” and it’s the best original blockbuster of the year.

2. “Matt Shepard Is a Friend of Mine”

I saw this documentary at this year’s Cleveland International Film Festival and it has resonated with me since. The real Matt Shepard painted on the big screen is kind, gentle and loving. He touched many lives and 15 years later, his memory lives on, with a little help from his friends. This movie is a must see. (Read my full review here.)

The official poster.

1. “Boyhood”

The best film of the year is from director Richard Linklater. It’s a masterpiece that tells a groundbreaking story over 12 years with the same actors and actresses. Audiences grow up with them, especially the main character Mason (Ellar Coltrane). We see his best moments and his worst. There is no CGI, no complex plot. “Boyhood” is about growing up and learning along the way. It does what any great film aspires to do: it helps us reflect on our own lives. There is a scene in the movie where Mason talks to a girl about seizing the moment. But they contend that, contrary to the popular phrase “carpe diem,” the moment seizes you. “Boyhood” will seize you and take you along its three-hour journey in a flash, just how time seems to do.

Oscars 2015: ‘Birdman,’ ‘Grand Budapest Hotel’ lead nominations

Nominations for the 87th Academy Awards were unveiled Jan. 15 in a two-part presentation live from the motion picture academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills, Calif. Alfonso Cuarón and J.J. Abrams kicked off the announcement with the first 11 categories. Chris Pine> and Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences President Cheryl Boone Isaacs then took the stage to unveil the nominations for the 13 remaining categories.

“Birdman” and “The Grand Budapest Hotel” lead the nominations with nine. “The Imitation Game” followed with eight.

For Best Picture, there were eight nominees: “American Sniper,” “Birdman,” “Boyhood,” “The Grand Budapest Hotel,” “The Imitation Game,” “Selma,” “The Theory of Everything” and “Whiplash.” Since a rule change in 2011 first allowed for the possibility of between five and ten nominees, there have been nine nominees (84th, 85th and 86th Academy Awards).

Nominated for his performance in “American Sniper,” Bradley Cooper received his third consecutive acting nomination and the second in the leading actor category. He was previously nominated for his leading role in “Silver Linings Playbook” (2012) and for his supporting role in “American Hustle” (2013).

Meryl Streep received her 19th Oscar nomination for playing the role of the witch in “Into the Woods.”

Notably missing from the list was “The LEGO Movie” for Animated Feature.

And the nominees are…

Best Picture

“American Sniper”

“Birdman”

“Boyhood”

“The Grand Budapest Hotel”

“The Imitation Game”

“Selma”

“The Theory of Everything”

“Whiplash”

Best Director

Wes Anderson, “The Grand Budapest Hotel”

Alejandro González Iñárritu, “Birdman”

Richard Linklater, “Boyhood”

Bennett Miller, “Foxcatcher”

Morten Tyldum, “The Imitation Game”

Best Writing — Adapted Screenplay

“American Sniper”

“The Imitation Game”

“Inherent Vice”

“The Theory of Everything”

“Whiplash”

Best Writing — Original Screenplay

“Birdman”

“Boyhood”

“Foxcatcher”

“The Grand Budapest Hotel”

“Nightcrawler”

Best Actor in a Leading Role

Steve Carell, “Foxcatcher”

Bradley Cooper, “American Sniper”

Benedict Cumberbatch, “The Imitation Game”

Michael Keaton, “Birdman”

Eddie Redmayne, “The Theory of Everything”

Best Actress in a Leading Role

Marion Cotillard, “Two Days, One Night”

Felicity Jones, “The Theory of Everything”

Julianne Moore, “Still Alice”

Rosamund Pike, “Gone Girl”

Reese Witherspoon, “Wild”

Best Actor in a Supporting Role

Robert Duvall, “The Judge”

Ethan Hawke, “Boyhood”

Edward Norton, “Birdman”

Mark Ruffalo, “Foxcatcher”

J.K. Simmons, “Whiplash”

Best Actress in a Supporting Role

Patricia Arquette, “Boyhood”

Laura Dern, “Wild”

Keira Knightley, “The Imitation Game”

Emma Stone, “Birdman”

Meryl Streep, “Into the Woods”

Best Animated Feature Film

“Big Hero 6″

“The Boxtrolls”

“How to Train Your Dragon 2″

“Song of the Sea”

“The Tale of The Princess Kaguya”

Best Cinematography

“Birdman”

“The Grand Budapest Hotel”

“Ida”

“Mr. Turner”

“Unbroken”

Best Costume Design

“The Grand Budapest Hotel”

“Inherent Vice”

“Into the Woods”

“Maleficent”

“Mr. Turner”

Best Documentary — Feature

“CITIZENFOUR”

“Finding Vivian Maier”

“Last Days in Vietnam”

“The Salt of the Earth”

“Virunga”

Best Documentary — Short Subject

“Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1″

“Joanna”

“Our Curse”

“The Reaper (La Parka)”

“White Earth”

Best Film Editing

“American Sniper”

“Boyhood”

“The Grand Budapest Hotel”

“The Imitation Game”

“Whiplash”

Best Foreign Language Film

“Ida” (Poland)

“Leviathan” (Russia)

“Tangerines” (Estonia)

“Timbuktu” (Mauritania)

“Wild Tales” (Argentina)

Best Makeup and Hairstyling

“Foxcatcher”

“The Grand Budapest Hotel”

“Guardians of the Galaxy”

Best Music — Original Score

“The Grand Budapest Hotel”

“The Imitation Game”

“Interstellar”

“Mr. Turner”

“The Theory of Everything”

Best Music — Original Song

“Lost Stars” from “Begin Again”

“Everything is Awesome” from “The LEGO Movie”

“Glory” from “Selma”

“Grateful” from “Beyond the Lights”

“I’m Not Gonna Miss You” from “Glen Campbell: I’ll Be Me”

Best Production Design

“The Grand Budapest Hotel”

“The Imitation Game”

“Interstellar”

“Into the Woods”

“Mr. Turner”

Best Short Film — Animated

“The Bigger Picture”

“The Dam Keeper”

“Feast”

“Me and My Moulton”

“A Single Life”

Best Short Film — Live Action

“Aya”

“Boogaloo and Graham”

“Butter Lamp”

“Parvaneh”

“The Phone Call”

Best Sound Editing

“American Sniper”

“Birdman”

“The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies”

“Interstellar”

“Unbroken”

Best Sound Mixing

“American Sniper”

“Birdman”

“Interstellar”

“Unbroken”

“Whiplash”

Best Visual Effects

“Captain America: The Winter Soldier”

“Dawn of the Planet of the Apes”

“Guardians of the Galaxy”

“Interstellar”

“X-Men: Days of Future Past”

The 87th Academy Awards, for outstanding film achievements of 2014, will be presented on Sunday, Feb. 22, 2015, at the Dolby Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center, and will be televised live on ABC and in more than 225 countries worldwide.

Toledo Free Press Film Editor James A. Molnar blogs about all things Oscars at TheGoldKnight.com.

Review: ‘Into the Woods’ features great performances in an enjoyable adaptation

“Into the Woods” is not about living happily ever after. It is about what comes next: the unexpected. It merges fairy tales — “Little Red Riding Hood,” “Jack and the Beanstalk,” “Rapunzel,” “Cinderella” and a few others — into one universe like Marvel superheroes.

Disney has grown accustomed to this notion so why not grow upon the trend, like a beanstalk reaching to the heavens.

The studio has adapted the classic Tony Award-winning musical from Stephen Sondheim, who wrote the music and lyrics, and James Lapine, who did the book and adapted the screenplay for this film.

Those familiar with the original stage musical know that happily ever after is only the end of Act One. It’s the following act that really sets the story loose.

Some audience members in this reviewer’s screening actually started walking out halfway through the movie because they thought it was over.

Official poster.

Suffice it to say audiences unfamiliar to Sondheim and Lapine’s work are in for quite a treat and a surprise. But they should remember to leave their preconceived Disney stereotypes at the door for this one. The fairy tales presented here are of the traditional sense and not inspired by the Disney material.

Sondheim and Lapine utilize the original Brothers Grimm fairy tales. In one bloody scene, Cinderella’s stepmother cuts off parts of the stepsisters’ feet in order to fit into the slipper.

This is what makes the musical so special, including the fantastically dark second act.

Blockbuster-going audiences — especially the Disney crowd — may not get it.

The problem this movie adaptation may face is that it is somewhere between theater and film. It’s not quite a filmed stage musical, but it also doesn’t feel quite like a film at times.

Director Rob Marshall, who directed the Best Picture-winning adaption of “Chicago” in 2002, handles the first act well, including a fantastic scene with Cinderella and her Prince in “On the Steps of the Palace.”

As with most on-screen musicals, the lip-syncing can appear off at times. Voices for characters, including Cinderella’s Prince (Chris Pine) and Little Red Riding Hood (Lilla Crawford), don’t seem to match at times and are distracting.

Tom Hooper had this figured out by recording live vocals on set when filming 2012’s “Les Misérables.” While Russell Crowe’s Javert performance stuck out like a sore thumb, most of the singing was phenomenal.

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For “Into the Woods,” it misses the mark at times.

This is even more apparent after watching the live stage recording on DVD of the original Broadway cast, including incredible performances from Bernadette Peters and Joanna Gleason.

That is not to say that Disney’s “Into the Woods” is bad or mediocre.

Meryl Streep and Emily Blunt delivery fantastic performances as the Witch and Baker’s Wife, respectively. Anna Kendrick as Cinderella and Daniel Huttlestone as Jack also add to the powerful roster of performances. (Johnny Depp’s Wolf is expectedly weird and odd.)

The second half of the film seems to gloss over what makes the original musical great: the message and theme that life is not so black and white and that happily ever after is not so permanent.

Even with its imperfections, “Into the Woods” is an enjoyable adaptation featuring some fantastic performances and music. It’s just short of happily ever after.

/ 5

Official trailer:

Rated PG for thematic elements, fantasy action and peril, and some suggestive material.

Review: ‘The Hobbit: The Battle of The Five Armies’ ends bloated trilogy

This unexpected journey from director Peter Jackson lost its spontaneity as it has trundled along.

“The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies,” the conclusion to the trilogy out nationwide Wednesday, adds its 144-minute runtime to a bloated total of 474 minutes for the three-film series. That’s six minutes shy of eight hours (not counting the extended edition runtimes) and about four hours too many.

For comparison, this trilogy is based on one 300-page book, along with various other writings and “Lord of the Rings” appendices by author J.R.R. Tolkien. Each film of the far superior “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy was based on a specific book — each about 400 pages — for a total runtime of 558 minutes (682 minutes for extended editions). That series, while long, earned its length.

In this series, there is a big dragon in the mountain who doesn’t want to give up his gold.

That’s Peter Jackson and Warner Bros.

Both of whom appear so intoxicated with that gold and the Middle-Earth universe that neither want to part ways with them.

Official poster.

Jackson and Warner Bros. did not listen to the megalomania manager, if such a position even existed.

There is no doubt Jackson is adept at telling these stories in excruciating detail. So much detail is spent on fight sequences that this third film fails to offer much in the way of plot or character development.

One character in particular is so one-dimensional that he changes personalities halfway through the film with only a montage to try and explain this change.

These 144 minutes are not used wisely.

Martin Freeman as the titular Hobbit Bilbo Baggins and Evangeline Lilly as Elf Tauriel offer the few emotional moments in the film — a drop in the bucket as large the lake near the Lonely Mountain where most of the action is set.

“The Battle of the Five Armies” picks up right where “The Desolation of Smaug” left off 12 months ago. Smaug, being the actual dragon in the film, is busy incinerating Laketown and must be stopped with a sole arrow. That’s the first 15 minutes. The next 129 minutes are filled with war and battle sequences of five armies, thus the title.

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Originally titled “There and Back Again,” Jackson changed the movie’s name in April to better reflect the story.

It’s an epic CGI battle worth titling the film after, but it gets boring.

When the final credits roll, there is no satisfaction in having taken this journey — no where close to that of “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King,” which swept the Academy Awards and won Best Picture.

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This film will be lucky with a few technical Oscar nods.

Now that the three films are out, this reviewer would love to see an edited, one-film version, picking and choosing the great moments from the series — something that should have been done from day one.